ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607150036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
The Roanoke Valley SPCA's plan to build a $1.2 million state-of-the-art shelter was heralded at a splashy announcement last fall as the saving grace of nearly four decades in flood-plagued quarters.
The SPCA proposes to renovate a 5,200-square-foot building off U.S. 460 in Northeast Roanoke and construct adjoining shelter space.
The organization launched a community fund drive, raising two-thirds of its $1 million goal. Ground-breaking was scheduled for this month.
But last week, the Roanoke Planning Commission voted against a rezoning that would allow the construction of shelter space. The SPCA had asked that a portion of the property be rezoned from a light to heavy manufacturing use.
The commission's vote was a recommendation to City Council, which is scheduled to consider the rezoning next month.
Faced with abandoning its plans, searching for another site or riding out the governmental process, the SPCA Board of Directors voted Thursday to pursue the rezoning.
"It wouldn't be fair to the public to throw in the towel now," said Al Alexander, SPCA shelter director. "What we have to do is present our objectives and goals and maybe convince people that we're putting up something they can be proud of."
Scaling back plans is not an option - "not and serve the people we serve," Alexander said.
"We don't want to be out so far that we're inaccessible. We serve Roanoke, Roanoke County, Botetourt, Craig and the town of Vinton. We'd like to stay where we're still of service to those communities. This site was perfect for that."
Or not.
Some neighborhood leaders and business owners oppose the SPCA's plans because of the site's proximity to several food outlets.
"We feel the SPCA needs a better location," said Roy Stroop, president of the Wildwood Civic League. "If they have to be in the city they ought to be in a location certainly where there's not all these food locations."
Eight restaurants and two large grocery stores are within a block and a half of the proposed shelter site, Stroop said.
"We're trying to protect the neighborhood here," he said. "And I don't think this is the kind of business we want in this neighborhood."
League members and business owners met with the SPCA months ago to discuss odor and noise. The SPCA incorporated measures into the shelter's design and construction to address those concerns, said Larry Degen, project architect.
All animals would be boarded indoors, he said. There would be no outdoor kennels. The ventilation system would recirculate 50 percent of the air as opposed to dumping it all outside.
"We had insulated masonry walls and additional foam insulation on the exterior of masonry," he said. "Then on the inside of areas where dogs would be boarded we had sound control baffles - insulating material that absorbs noise, that are suspended from the structure above."
The opposition could not be swayed. Despite the SPCA's efforts, they voiced their concerns at last week's Planning Commission meeting.
"To say I was disappointed at the outcome is an understatement," Alexander said.
But the Planning Commission's decision to recommend against the SPCA's rezoning request was not based on the concerns of Wildwood Civic League members or business owners, said Carolyn Hayes Coles, commission chairwoman. In fact, the proposed shelter was a wonderful facility, she said.
"The proposed building was excellent," she said. "It addressed every issue we had - noise, smell, what happens if they have diseased animals, what they do as far as disposal of carcasses. We were pleased with the answers."
But the commission was concerned about setting a zoning precedent in an area that has had an "outburst" of commercial business, Coles said.
"When you have light manufacturing in an area that is typically light manufacturing, then rezone one spot for heavy manufacturing, you're setting a precedent for everything else around it," she said. "You lose sight of what the original zoning was about. It's the old domino effect."
Still, Alexander fears that opposition is rooted in perceptions of what is, not what will be. The SPCA shelter on Eastern Avenue in Northeast Roanoke is an old structure in a dilapidated area of the flood plain. The building was nearly underwater during the flood of 1985.
It is crowded. It can be noisy. At times, the smell can be overpowering.
"People can't get the old days out of their mind," Alexander said.
LENGTH: Medium: 82 linesby CNB